Yoshie Fruchter and Pitom: Progressive Jazz with a Jewish Base

KFAR Jewish Arts Center presents guitarist Yoshie Fruchter and Pitom. Bridging the worlds of the orthodox and the avant-garde, the acclaimed musical project draws on some of the hottest New York talents. With klezmer as the base, the group's sound also incorporates elements of rock, jazz, and avant-garde genres. The soulfulness of traditional Jewish music fuses with the energy of jazz and sonic textures for an exciting and innovative brew that has been setting New York City ablaze.

Venue Details

I had a 2 for 1 coupon from WBEZ, so dinner was in Evanston at the Stained Glass Bistro. Excellent, but not inexpensive. Libertad across the street is good, but overpriced. Good little steak house/Mexican restaurant next to Village Inn. You can BYOB there.

Reviews & Ratings

In all honesty I and my guests felt the same way. We were very dissapointed. The theater is a cute renovated facility which holds about 145 ppl. They only had about 35 ppl there. They call the start of the show for 8:00 PM with ticket pick-up one hour prior to show time. We got there at 7:10 PM and they were not ready to verify ticket sales at that time. They started acknowledging attendees at 7:50PM. WE went into the theatre at 8:00 PM. The band was still sitting up with an exposed stage. So the guests could see all of their disconbobulation. They began after 8:30 PM missing one member of the band (the accordion player)starting the show till about 40 minutesd when he jumped on the stage to join tnem. The band was loud and it almost appeared to be a rehearsal. It was not a professional presentation at all. Then to kill more time they brought up a young man that did "Bee-Bob" through the microphone. He was very good for 15 minutes and then at about 10:00 PM they brough up Yosie and his group. Again no professional performance. The dress code was as if they were at home in someone's basement rehearsing and their music was just loud. We left after 2 songs. Totally for a young teenage crowd that would like loud banging music. Certainly nothing recognizable to any of our Jewish music.

So to think a service charge of $5.00 is placed on each ticket is a disgrace. Bury the service charge in your ticket price if you want that kind of money on each ticket!!

You asked for a comment and so I felt you would want to know . We were definitely not happy!!! This was my first time buying from your service!!!

Website

Quotes & Highlights

“Yoshie Fruchter leads Brooklyn’s Pitom, the latest offshoot of John Zorn’s punk-klezmer movement, combining Jewish melodies with burly psych rock, mathy prog and festive surf. Blasphemy and Other Serious Crimes, the band’s latest for Zorn’s Tzadik label, is fun, loud and well played.” —Time Out Chicago (Critic’s Pick)
“More than most of the jazz-punk bands on John Zorn’s Tzadik label, Brooklyn’s Pitom understands that rocking is something you can’t annotate… Pushing the whole thing through the scales and melodies of frontman Yoshie Fruchter’s Jewish heritage — if any band can walk the talk of the word “radical” in the phrase “Radical Jewish Music,” it’s these guys. Fruchter is equal parts seminary school, jazz school, and Nirvana’s “School,” doing the same for heavy metal that Zorn’s Masada did for free-jazz." —_Village Voice _
Pitom’s music is concise, hard-edged, tuneful, dynamic, and surprisingly free of the excesses often associated with experimental rock. —Jazz Review
Check out the group’s MySpace page to learn more and hear clips.

Description

Pitom is one of those galactic events that has a one-in-a-gazillion chance of happening. This hybrid kind of music could only come from a culture known for wandering. It’s the soundtrack to being lost in the desert for 40 years. Yoshie Fruchter and his erstwhile collaborators in Pitom have already set the New York City ablaze with their on-stage presence, and this — the first document of their remarkable presence on the planet — is a beautiful and caustic warning to the rest of the world.